Internal combustion engine



Dec. 22, 1936. H. o. HEDGES I INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE Filed May 14, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR #HRR Y 0 ,1450656 mi@ Y A ToRNEY Dec. 22, 1936. H. o. HEDGES INTERNAL coMusTIoN ENGINE vFiled Nay 14, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR #Hrm Y O. /w/Eofs MOON ATTORNEY Dec. 22, 1936. H. o. HEDGES INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 14, 1934 INVENTOR #4R/qv OHL-065s V' Irrvaiw ATTORNEY Patented Dee. 22,v 1936 PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL coMUs'rIoN ENGINE Harry 0.' Hedges, Seattle, Wash., assignor to Hedges Motor Coiinpany, Seattle, Wash., a, cori l poration of Washingto Application May 14, 1934, Serial No. 725,49!)l ZClalms.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion engines and more particularly to engines having reciprocating pistons, each operating in a double acting cylinder; that is, a

cylinder equipped for application of power impulses alternately at opposite sides of the piston. The invention further relates to engines of the character above stated, designed for operation on the four stroke cycle principle and in which engine each piston is connected to the crank shaft through the mediacy of a piston rod and a connecting rod; the former being extended reciprocally through a sealed opening in an end wall of the cylinder, and pivotally attached at its outer end to the connecting rod which, in turn, has driving connection. with a throw of the crank shaft.

l'One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved cross head bearing and guideways therefor whereby the application of power impulses from the piston rod to the connecting rod, and vice versa, will reduce the friction due to lateral application of pressure against the guide and not cause lateral application o f pressure against the piston, piston rod. or rod packing nor will it cause any uneven wear on the cylinder walls.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a '30 cross head embodying rollers at its ends that track between parallel guide surfaces spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the rollers, thereby to provide a lateral movement of the cross head for clearance .t that prevents frictional contact of the rollers with the guide surface at one side while moving in rolling contact with the surface at the other side.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved form of piston rod sealing which 40 accommodates itself to that slight lateral movement ofthe cross head but which, at all times,

maintains an eiective, pressure tight joint about the rod.

It is also an object of this invention to provide 45 the various moving parts with distributing channels through which there may be a forced application of lubricant to the piston and cylinder walls and to the piston rod and connecting rod bearings. 50 Another object is to so arrange the cross head assembly and piston rod sealing with associated vparts that each functionally co-acts with the other in the operation of the engine.

Other objects of the invention reside in the es details of constructionand in me combination of the various parts and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing the various objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of 5 construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly inv vertical section, of an engine embodying 10 the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a. cross sectional view of the engine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of a piston and parts by means of which the piston is connected with the crank shaft.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail diagrammatically illustrating the lateral movement of the piston rod and cross head by reason of clearance provided for the crossv head rollers.

Fig.'5 is a sectional view of the piston rod seal- 20 ing.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sealing rings and the two part cage.

Before going into a detailed description of the 25 present construction, it will here be stated that applicant is aware of various types of reciprocating engines in which cross heads are employed in guideways for guiding travel of the piston rod and for sustaining the lateral thrust of the con- 0 necting rod by reason of the rotary motion of the crank shaft. In many arrangements of the prior art, cross heads have been employed and in one to my knowledge the cross head embodies rollers arranged to track between parallel guideways 5 which are so spaced that they provide lateral clearance whereby frictional contact oi the rollers with one surface is, avoided while they are moving in rolling contact with the other, but to my knowledge, no provision has been made in any instance to permit this lateral movement and at the same time maintain a tightly sealed joint about the. piston rod where it passes through the cylinder end Wall. The eici'ency and desirability for the double acting pistontype of engine is dependent on the maintenance of an effectively sealed joint about the piston rod and this is not possible with the various kinds of packing devices disclosed in the prior art, which receive frictional pressure and lateral thrust of the oon- 50 necting rod incident to lateral movements.

Referring more in detail to the drawingsi designates, in its entirety, an internal coin-1 bustion engine embodying improvements made in accordance with details of the present invention. The engine is one designed to operatel on the four stroke cycle principle and it includes a vertically disposed cylinder 2 .that is closed at its upper end by a cylinder head 3 andl at its. lower end by an integral wall 4. The

cylinder block and head are water jacketed in n enclosed cross head housings 1 at the lower ends of which are bearings 8in which the crank shaft 9 for transmission'of power is revolubly mounted.v Fixed on the crank shaft is a gear wheel I that drives two gear wheels II-I I fixed, respectively, on cam shafts |2-I2 that extend parallel with and at opposite sides of the crank shaft. These cam shafts are equipped with cams I3 which operate in the usual manner to actuate the valves 6 between openand closed positions; it being understood-that the valves also have the usual or any desirable mounting and actuating devices which are acted on bythe cams in proper timing by reason of a synchronized rotation of the cam shafts with `respect to each other and with the crank shaft by reason of the geared connections.

lfteciprocally, contained in the cylinder 2 is a disk type piston I of slightly lesser diameter than the cylinder and equipped with a plurality of sealing rings 8 of a yieldable character that permit of the slight movement of the piston that is incident to the lateral movements of the piston rod.

Connected centrally with the piston is the piston-rod.I0. As seen best in Fig. 1, the rod is tted at its upper end in a downwardly opening socket II in a shouldered nut I2 that is applied to a central opening I4 in the piston from the underside thereof and a bolt I5 lis extended through 'the nut and is axially threaded into the upper end of the rod from the top side of the piston. The bolt has a large, flat head I6 which overlaps the piston about the nut and co-acts with the nuty in holding the rod and piston `se curely connected. f

The piston rod extends reciprocally through a central opening I8 in the lower end wall 4 of the cylinder, through a packing gland 'I9 preslently described in detail, and at its lower end is formed with a yoke 20, the spaced arms 20'-20' of which mount a cross head wrist pin 2| whereby pivotal, connection is made with the upper end of a connecting rod 22 which, at its lower end, is operatively connectedin the usual manner with a throw 9a of the crank shaft 9.

The cross head pin 2| extends perpendicularly with respect to the axial line of the piston rod and at its ends has portions 2 I a of reduced diameter on which rollers 24 are mounted through the mediacy of ball bearings 25. The rollers are of the same diameter and each is located to track between guideways formed, by parallel rails 25--26 cast jon the opposite walls of the cross Vhead housing 1. The inner surfaces of the rails 26 are perfectly smooth and flat and form surfaces on which the rollers may move in rolling contact thus to freely support the piston rod against all the lateral thrust or pull of the connecting rod.

As will be observed by reference to Figs.- 2 and 4, the contact surfaces of the cross head1 guide rails are parallel and are equally spaced at opposite sides of a plane axially through the cylinder and crank shaft. The spacing of these surfaces also is just slightly more than the diameter of the rollers, thereby providing a slight clearance between the rollers and surfaces at one side thereof while in rolling 'contact with the surfaces at the other side.

'Ihe piston rod sealing, as -disclosed best in Figs. 4 to 7, comprises a cylindrical cage made upof two semi-cylindrical housings 30-30, removably tted withinfa cylindrical bushing nut 3| that is threaded upwardly4 into the cylinder head opening I8 through which the rod reciprocates. The upper end of the cage seats firmly against a shoulderk32 and is held securely by tightening the bushing against its lower end. 'I'lie opening I8- in the cylinder head, the cage 30 and the bushing 3i are all exactly coaxial f the cylinder, and provide an opening for the piston rod which is sufliciently greater in diameter than the rod diameter to permit the lateral movement of the rod provided for by the clearance in the cross head arrangement.

The cage is formed internally with a plurality of annular inwardly facing grooves 35 in which split packing rings 36 are fitted. These rings tightly t the piston rod but are of lesser outside diameter than the overall diameter of the annular grooves 35 of the cage, thereby providing for that lateral movement of the rings in the cage that is required for the lateral play of the piston rod incident to lateral movements of the cross head. The rings 36 at all times maintain a tightly sealed joint about the rod and also between the rings and cage regardless of the lateral shifting.

'I'hese rings of the sealing assembly may be easily and readily removed and replaced by unthreading the bushing 3 I then unseating the cage 30 therefrom to permit separation of its two half sections as in Fig. '7. The rings are then slipped from or onto the rod after it has been disconnected "from the piston.

To effectively apply lubricating oil to the surfaces of moving parts, I have provided an oil channel 40 lengthwise withinthe crank shaft and have provided lateral channels 4I leading radially therefrom to the various supporting bearings. These lateral channels are adapted to register during rotation of the shaft with ports 42 l in the bearings with which oil supply pipes 43 are l'a channel 45 through which oil will be fed to a channel 46 lengthwise of the connecting rod and communicating with a central channel 4'I in the cross head wrist pin 20. 'I'his latter channel has a. radial outlet 48 which is arranged for registration with a longitudinal channel 49 in'the piston rod communicating at its upper end with a plurality of radial channels 50 leading to the surface of the piston and through which lubricant will be fed to the cylinder and piston walls.'

With the engine constructed as above described, it is quite obvious that on downward movement of the piston under vinfluence of a fuel charge exploded in the upper end of the cylinder, and rotation of the crank shaft in the direction desig- V hated by the arrow in Fig. 4, the thrust of the lconnecting rod against the cross head will be partly toward the left hand side. This will cause thecross head to be pushed to the left and the cross head rollers to travel in rolling contact with the guide surfaces at that side only.- On the upstroke of the piston for'scavenging the burner charge, the piston is pushed by the connecting rod and this shifts the cross head bearing and piston rod laterally to theopposite side, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and the cross head rollers then' have rolling contact with the guide surface at that side only. This upstroke is the intake or suction stroke for the lower end of the cylinder. Then as the piston is pulled down by the connecting rod to compress the charge intaken in the lower end of the cylinder and to draw in a charge at the upper end, the cross head bear# ings stili retain their rolling contact with the guide surface at the right hand side, but on the next up stroke under the driving action of the piston, it shifts to the left.

With each lateral shifting of the cross head.

the piston rod shifts accordingly Iin the sealing I9 and also the piston moves very slightly in accordance with the piston rod movement laterally, but at all times the rings effectively seal the opening through which the rod passes without any binding action; this being possible by reason of the sealing rings 38 having a certainv amount of clearance about them in the cage channels 35. Such engines may .be made with one or a plurality of cylinders but it is preferred that they have two, or a multiple of two cylinders for most satisfactory results. Also, they may be made in various sizes, and for various purposes and may vary in the proportion of parts withoutl departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the present'construction there is a functional co-action existing between the sealing and cross head. The formerv maintains a tightly sealed connection at all times. The latter prevents lateral thrust in the piston and piston rod yet permits of a certain lateral-movement necessary for 4clearance of the cross head rollers whereby friction is avoided. Without lateral play in the cross head, the desirability for the rollers would be nullied and without this particular character of sealing the lateral movements would result in inenective sealing of the cylinder and dimcuity of operation. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to lsecure by Letters Patent isf l. In an engine, a power cylinder having an end wall opening, a piston reciprocally contained in the cylinder having a piston rod extended through the said end wall opening, a crank shaft, a connecting rod operatively connected with a throw of the crank shaft and with the extended end of the piston rod, a guideway comprising parallel guide surfaces, a cross head on the piston rod comprising a roller tracking in the gnideway with lateral clearance whereby frictional contact with the surface at one side is avoided while the roller is in rolling contact with the surface at th'e Aother side, a connecting rod operatively joining the cross head and crank shaft and a piston rod sealing means fitted in the cylinder end wall opening including means to allowlateral movement therein permitting it to accommodate itself, without leakage, to lateral movements of the rod permitted by clearance between the cross head roller and guide surfaces.

A 2. In an engine, a power cylinder having an end wall opening. a piston reciprocally contained in the cylinder and having a piston rod extended through the said opening and4 beyond the end wall, a crank shaft, a connecting rod-operatively connected at oneend with a throw of the crank shaft, a pivot pin operatively connecting the other end of the connecting rod with the outer end of the piston rod, guideways at opposite sides of the piston rod 4parallel with the axial line of the cylinder; each guldeway comprising parallel .containing said rings with clearance to accommodate lateral movements of the rod provided for in-the cross head roller clearance.

mar o. anDGns. 

